The National Action Network is hosting its 17th annual National Convention April 8 through April 11 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. This year’s convention will unite leaders in creating a plan of action for President Barack Obama’s second term and building a better nation
The Rev. Al Sharpton will be joined by presidents of leading national civil rights groups such as the National Urban League and NAACP, along with Mayors Ras Baraka, Bill de Blasio, Stephen K. Benjamin and Michael Nutter.
The convention will feature actor Anthony Anderson, award-winning film producer and director Lee Daniels, former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, television anchor and producer Soledad O’Brien, motivational speaker and host of “Iyanla: Fix My Life” Iyanla Vanzant, Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s “Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” and cast members from the highly-rated new TV show “Empire.”
Members of Obama’s Cabinet will be in attendance, including U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Broderick Johnson, assistant to the president, White House Cabinet secretary and chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force.
Family members of police misconduct victims, including the parents of Michael Brown, the mother and widow of Eric Garner, the mother of Tamir Rice and the parents and wife of Sean Bell, as well as the parents of Trayvon Martin, will be at the convention.
Labor groups will be in attendance, including J. David Cox, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees; George Gresham, president of 1199 SEIU; Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of Government Employees; and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
The NAN National Convention is free and open to the public, with some ticketed events. For more information, go to www.nationalactionnetowork.net.